Parasites (2016) Reviews

• Rating: almost made it to a "4" but...

  A_Different_Drummer2017-01-26

  I remember when reviewing the 2016 movie SIREN thinking, hey, not too shabby, this is how you make a quality B movie on a shoestring, strong story, interesting characters, clever direction, a strong lead. Well, Parasites from the same year (2016) is a brutal reminder why most "shoestring" B-movies end up forgotten and unloved. For the first few minutes -- assuming the viewer can last that long -- you can almost sense the germ of a good idea here. The notion that the ultimate horror in modern society are not monsters as such, but the monsters who allow the homeless to exist in the first place -- that would be "US" -- and hey wouldn't it be interesting if the homeless struck back? That feeling of engagement lasts three minutes tops. From then on there is about an hour and fifteen minutes of your life you will never get back. Every single hallmark of a "bad B" is here: a poor script; bad acting; unsympathetic characters; the use of odd lighting as a substitute for quality direction; clothes that seem either too dirty or too clean; and tendency for the viewer to start to hope the bad guys kill everyone in sight, including the camera crew, so the movie will end and we can all go home. Ugh. I would have rated it a "4" (being generous) except the writer/director stole the ending from the original-original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD which was not only incongruous but also just plain mean. Final verdict: UGH.

• Not for the faint-hearted, original and with a strong but bitter message.

  johannes2000-12018-05-14

  This movie is maybe a little different, but nonetheless very interesting and actually not at all bad, it kept me on the edge of my chair for the whole (not so long) 77 minutes. Three students take a short cut with their car in some big city (Los Angeles?) and end up lost in the slums, where a flat tyre (caused by a deliberately placed plank with nails) forces them to leave the car. Within a few minutes they are surrounded by a whole pack of homeless bums who - inflamed by the debasing attitude of one of the students and at the whim of their leader Wilco - attack and kill two of them. Marshal, the third one, is considered to be dead too, but while being stripped of his clothes he manages to escape and the rest of the movie we see him running for his life and trying to get rid of his assailants by gradually using more and more brute force himself. So maybe the premise looks rather simple, but it is very cleverly done and the raw and unpolished style gives it an authentic and unnerving feel, as do the bleak deserted industrial settings. During his flight Marshal encounters various specimens of low-life: other students who amuse themselves by pestering homeless people, a deranged Korea veteran, a guy with Downs syndrome dropped-of and left by a chauffeur at a sidewalk, a prostitute harassed by drug-dealers. It's obvious that the director makes a statement here: while favoured people live their comfortable lives on the right side of the town, there's this whole suburb filled with unfortunate fellow-humans who every day have to fight to survive and for this do up to almost anything. And when one of the fortunates by chance suddenly finds himself down-there, he readily changes to the same kill-or-get-killed mode as his assailants. Or in other words: under the veneer we're all the same. In spite of all the authenticity there were some improbabilities too. Marshal is supposed to be a young quarter-back, his assailants sickly and under-nourished bums, so it's almost a miracle that they succeed time and again in catching up with him. Especially the Wilco-character who is obviously an old guy and is all the time seen limping. And why doesn't Marshal hide somewhere in one of the countless dilapidated warehouses and offices that he passes, in stead of all the time making himself such an obvious target? The acting is okay. The main character Marshal (Sean Samuels) is more engaged in running and fighting than in acting, but the Wilco character is very well and convincingly played by Robert Miano, and so is the prostitute (Silvia Spross). The musical score is surprising: all the running and panting is accompanied by un-plugged, raw versions of some poignant ballads, which enhances the estranged atmosphere of the whole movie. Direction and cinematography are at times (deliberately?) awkward and the editing could use some cutting of overlong scenes that seem to unnecessarily halt the intended fast pace of the movie. There is a lot of abusive language and (partly graphically shown) violence, the whole project is definitely not for the tender-hearted. And poor Sean Samuels has to run around for some 10 minutes stark naked, shown without any prudish hesitation in full rear and frontal bloom. Now I don't object to male nudity (not me!) and Samuels has a perfect body to show, but here I thought it a bit unnecessary; when he would have been stripped up to his shorts it would have served the same point. On the other hand I have to admit that, as to the authenticity that was intended, this helped too. I will not give away the ending of the movie, let me just say that - talking about authenticity!- it is as surprising, unconventional, realistic and cynical as the rest of the movie. All in all I liked it a lot, it stayed in my mind for a long time.

• Solid Carpenter type Horror , quality

  epiceffectss2017-02-03

  OK first off real review OK - check my others going back last few years - phew. So in my opinion this film maker likes his carpenter and is closing in on the revial of the whole 80s nostalgia that films like It Follows have captured. This is more low budget and authentic and if you like your John Carpenter films like prince of darkness , assault on precint13 then it will give you a good dose of nostalgia. Some mad characters in the film , what is with that first chasing killer and the mad noises he makes as he chases that guy , ha lols , good stuff. Soundtrack is really good , as a music maker myself I really noticed how good it was , liking the Arp2600 and Sequential pro sounds, the composer has used good anologue sounding synths , top work on that one and it kind of drives the film in the right direction , prob most authentic carpenter type music I've heard during this whole 80s horror revival thingy going on at the moment. I gave this an 8 because it is good , deserves special marks as it doesn't have the budget of Hollywood and yet its still got good production values , it looks good. Not going to spell out the story as who wants that before you watch it. Was good !

• Snowflakes, beware this film will offend you!

  redkartel2017-01-27

  College kids get lost on the mean streets where they run afoul of a homeless gang, entering a fight for your life chase with several imaginative deaths, and one hell of a strong ending that will stick with you long after viewing. PARASITES is an excellent indie version of THE NAKED PREY with a Tangerine Dream inspired score, and two songs from my favorite film, John Flynn's 1980 masterpiece DEFIANCE. Don't let the low IMDb rank fool you, it's probably due to some millennials that stole it off a torrent site, got offended by the politically incorrect language, and sight of a naked black man.

• Parasites are today's norms

  deefaah2017-05-21

  The name of this film is another way to describe what society has evolved to, with no going back. Common sense has been replaced by violence and murder, to resolve the simplest issues. The world is so unsafe and unpredictable, viewing this film and watching world events, are a match. This is a must-see film! The actors were great! This film will make you stop taking for granted, the freedoms that you think that you have, when you walk out your door every day.